A ballast converts alternating current (AC) power from an AC power supply so that it is suitable for energizing a lamp connected to the ballast. A ballast may include a rectifier for generating a direct current (DC) signal from the AC power received from the AC power supply, a power factor correction circuit for correcting the DC signal generated by the rectifier, and an inverter for converting the corrected DC signal to an oscillating voltage for providing to the lamp.
A ballast provides for the dimming of a lamp, such as but not limited to a fluorescent lamp, connected to the ballast by controlling the current provided to the lamp. Specifically, the ballast may be configured to vary the operating frequency of the inverter in order to control the current provided to the lamp for achieving various lighting levels. However, the frequencies at which the inverter must operate in order to generate a range of lighting levels can cause several problems, such as but not limited to electromagnetic interference and switching losses.